


X Marks the Spot - A Soul Mate AU

by bluebellsandcocklesshells



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, M/M, Soul Mate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-08 01:01:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6832465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebellsandcocklesshells/pseuds/bluebellsandcocklesshells





	X Marks the Spot - A Soul Mate AU

Everyone, without exception, is born on the same day at the exact time as their soul mate.  In order to find each other, a small map depicting where an individual’s soul mate is at any given time floats across his or her skin.  Back in the earliest age of human existence, the maps were useful.  A big hill here, a small canyon there, and it was fairly easy to navigate.

In the modern age—the marks were all but useless because humans had altered the terrain so much.  Hills were turned into roads, valleys were filled in, dams changed the course of rivers.  If there was ever proof needed that global warming was real, some maps showed people along coasts that were under water in reality.  The evolutionary process that governed the marks clearly couldn’t keep up with how fast humans changed the environment.

The maps were in fact only useful if someone was at a location the other recognized from familiarity with the area.  Or if two soul mates came within close proximity to each other and the maps zoomed in to let them know they were close.  Of course, that was only helpful if the mark wasn’t currently in an inconvenient place, like someone’s backside.

Dean knew that his soul mate had grown up on the water.  Literally.  The floating mark was almost always a beautiful shade of blue-green with hint of a white coastline.  His parents had suggested that he or she might live on a houseboat.  A lot of times his soul mate map turned completely blue.  Dean couldn’t imagine going so far out to sea that he couldn’t see land.  Of course, he lived in Kansas and had never seen the ocean before.  He wondered what his soul mate must think to see that his or her mark was always golden brown and never near any water larger than a small lake.

When he was in high school he spent a lot of time trying to figure out what coast his soul mate lived on.  It was fairly distinctive and with satellite imagery it should be easy to find.  Or so he’d thought.  He’d never been able to identify any place that he was certain was right.

In college he had stopped caring.  There were a ton of people who had never met their soul mates either and had no clue where they might be.  And they were all willing to date and sleep with each other, so who needed a soul mate if you could have fun without them?  Besides, his soul mate had never left home; it was the same blue water and coast line that Dean had had on his skin since childhood and he was over thirty now.

“Maybe they’re dead,” Cas said as he traced the coastline over Dean’s hip.

“It changes too much,” Dean murmured, hugging his pillow and trying to relax into a post-coital nap.  “And it still floats.”

When a person’s soul mate died, the map became static showing the exact place they drew their last breath, regardless of where they were interred.  Castiel’s map had been a static image of a nondescript rocky field (which was probably a hospital now or something) since he’d been seven.  He’d concocted various scenarios of what had happened to his soul mate when he’d been younger, giving whoever it had been an exciting, heroic end.  More than likely it had been something awful and mundane like leukemia or falling off the monkey bars.

The mark had stopped floating as well, permanently etching itself into the skin along his ribs.  Castiel noticed that Dean never kissed him or marked him on that side of his chest.  He didn’t know if it was out of deference or if he didn’t like to be reminded that they weren’t soul mates.  They’d been together for six years and for five of those years Dean had never given a single thought to his soul mate except for those unfortunate times the map floated for an hour or two on his face.

“Dean…”

“Nn.”  Dean was more than half sleep.

“Do you mean it when you say you really don’t care if you ever find your soul mate?”

Dean sighed and forced himself to wake up.  They’d had this conversation quite a few times.  He shuffled over onto his back and looked up at his lover whose eyes were a more beautiful shade of blue than the ocean that flowed over his skin.

“Cas.  For the millionth time—I don’t care if I never find my soul mate.  In fact, I don’t _want_ to find them because wouldn’t that be an awkward conversation?  I have to tell the person I was ‘meant’ to be with that we can’t be together because I’ve got you?”

Cas attempted to smile, but looked down and brushed his thumb over the skin above Dean’s belly button.

“But everyone says when you meet them—it takes over all your senses.  You’d forget me if you met them.”

“All the more reason to never go near an ocean.”

“But is that what you want?  Everyone says—”

“Cas.  I’m sick of you worrying about what everyone says a soul mate bond should be like.  Who cares?  We’ll never know.  You can’t and I don’t want to.  I love what we have together.  Don’t—”  Dean’s voice wavered with uncertainty for a moment.  “Don’t you?”

Cas looked down at him and stroked his stomach again.  Then he grinned.

“I do.  And now I know you really do too.”

“Are you really that insecure?” Dean grumbled.  He’d forgone a nap for this nonsense?

“Not…insecure…just thorough.  I wanted to make sure you’d have no regrets if…”  He rolled away for a moment and then came back with a small, black box in his hand.  He popped the top and revealed two slim bands of gold and silver twined together in a delicate braid.  “…I asked you to marry me.”

Dean had some smug comment in his head.  He had an arrogant scoff prepared.  He’d known a proposal might happen one day and he knew he would be cool about it.

In reality, his voice cracked and all he got out was half a sob.  He flushed with embarrassment and tried to hide his face but Castiel wouldn’t let him, forcing Dean to look at him and then kissed his face all over.

“Say yes, Dean.”

He wanted to say something witty, but getting out, “Y-yes,” was almost more than he could manage.  This was embarrassing as hell and he’d never forgive Cas if he told anyone that this was the way it all went down.

Castiel sat up on his knees and pulled the two rings from the box.  He handed one to Dean and then slid the other onto Dean’s right middle finger.  Dean slid his onto Cas’ left middle finger.  Cas froze, watching Dean massage the fingers of his left hand.

“D-Dean…”

The left hand was reserved for marriages between soul mates.  It was a sign that they were two people bonded so closely together that nothing could break them.  Dean just continued to look up into his eyes, cool as a cucumber (well, a slightly red-faced, sniffling cucumber).  He held up his right hand.  Castiel tentatively reached forward and removed the ring from Dean’s right hand.  Then he slid it onto his left.

“Doesn’t that feel right?” Dean asked.

Castiel nodded.  “Yeah…it really does.”

He straddled his fiancé’s hips and leaned down to kiss him.  It was several hours before they had the time to start making phone calls to family and friends.

~~~

The wedding had been amazing.  Well, it had been a test of the strength of their characters that they hadn’t murdered anyone.  Nothing had gone right from the weather to the wiring at the venue to the dead flowers to the small fire to the DJ showing up only with the latest Bollywood hits to the minister balking at them putting their rings on their left hands to Dean’s extended family being prejudiced against Dean marrying a non-soul mate when his was still alive.  It had been a disaster.

But it had been amazing because Castiel was now his husband and they were on their way to their honeymoon.  Both his and Cas’ parents had chipped in to buy them an amazing two week trip to Bora-Bora.  It was going to be quiet and secluded and nothing but sunning themselves on beaches and making love in bed and drinking fruity drinks out of coconut shells with those little umbrellas in them.

Or that was the plan.  The closer they got to Bora-Bora, the tighter the map floating on the inside of his right forearm got.  He was flying right to his soul mate.  Dean unrolled the sleeves of his over shirt and covered his arms.  He knew he couldn’t hide it from Cas for two weeks, but he needed some time to figure out what he was going to do.

Bora-Bora was sparsely populated and the resort they were going to was of the kind where huts had been built out over the water.  It was possible they would only see one or two people the whole time they were there.  Unless his soul mate just happened to be the one checking them into their hotel, then he could probably go the whole two weeks and never meet them.  He would gladly never meet them, but he had a feeling Castiel would insist upon it.  Maybe they could get a few hours of enjoyment in before he had to confess to it.

Part of him hoped that they were simply flying over where his soul mate lived and the map would zoom out again.  However, by the time they landed in Tahiti it was apparent that he was closer to his soul mate than he’d ever been.  An hour and a half later they landed at Motu Mute and his mark showed a short strip of coast and water less than five miles long.

He was distracted from obsessing over the changes in the map because Cas insisted they rent bicycles to get around on the island rather than a car.  It was three miles to the resort they were staying in and Dean did not enjoy pedaling there in eighty-five degree heat.  He was sweaty and convinced he’d already gotten sunburned on his nose by the time they checked in so he carelessly pulled off his sweat-stained over shirt and T-shirt as soon as they entered their bungalow.  He was eyeing the shower when he heard Castiel choke.

Dean turned around, wondering if his husband had already gotten into the macadamia nuts in the mini bar.  Castiel’s eyes were trained on Dean’s upper shoulder.  He looked down at his arm and saw that the mark had traveled to his deltoid.  He was so close to his soul mate now that it appeared like he or she was completely on land despite the island being barely half a mile across.

Dean looked up and met Cas’ eyes.  Tears were wavering on the bottom lids, and then fell freely down his cheeks.  Dean took a step toward him and Castiel stepped away.  Dean stopped, stunned and hurt by Cas’ retreat.

“Cas…it doesn’t mean anything.”

“You have to find them.”

“I don’t want—”

“It doesn’t matter what you want!  Your soul mate is here, and they deserve the chance to meet you too.”

“Cas, I know this is upsetting for you, but I’m going to need you to look at this rationally and not like some god awful rom-com, okay?  We’re not going to meet and run into each other’s arms and forget about everything else in our lives.”

Cas’ hands were balled into fists at his sides.  “Fine.  If you really believe that, then there should be no problem finding and meeting them.”

Dean felt a little angry at Cas’ stubbornness and kicked his shoes off.  “Fine.  Fine!  Have it your way!  It’s not like I did this on purpose.  But, fine.  I’ll shower and get all spruced up and then I’ll go find my soul mate since you’re so eager to get rid of me.”

“That’s not it at all and you _know_ it!”

Dean shrugged and finished undressing.  “Sure feels that way, Cas.  You go snorkel or something.  I’ve got the love of my life to find since apparently I’ve been wrong for the last six years and it’s not you!”

Dean childishly slammed the bathroom door shut and started the shower.  He hoped he’d hurt Cas’ feelings because Cas had hurt his.  Perhaps that was petty, but Dean never claimed to be the poster child for emotional maturity.

He took a long shower and stalled in the bathroom for as long as he could.  When he cautiously opened the door, he saw that Castiel was gone.  Or at least not in the room.  He might just be out on the balcony taking in their breathtaking lagoon view, but he didn’t want to check.  He was going to go track down his soul mate out of spite.

Dean walked back to the main building of the resort and approached the concierge desk.  The short man behind it smiled happily when he saw Dean.

“Is the room to your liking, monsieur?”

“Wh-?  Oh, yeah.  It’s great.  Um, I was wondering if you’re familiar with the island…?”

“Of course, monsieur.”

“Um.  Well, could you possibly figure out where ‘here’ is?”

Dean had put on a tank top which made it easier to show his mark even as it started to slowly migrate up his shoulder and onto his back.  The man’s eyes went wide when he saw it.  He looked up at Dean.

“I guess…it just started to zoom in as you flew closer, right?” the man asked.

Dean nodded.  The man chewed on his lower lip.  He fidgeted.

“What is it?” Dean asked.

“Well, we—I—we, um.  We know someone who noticed that for the first time her map started to zoom in a few hours ago.  So…I don’t have to tell you where your map is showing.  I can just tell you…who she is.”

Dean swallowed and felt sick to his stomach.  He really hadn’t thought this through.  He nodded his head.

“One second,” the man said and picked up the phone on his desk.  “Hello, René.  Is Telani still in the dining room?  Can you put her on the phone?  Thank you.”

The man played with the cord of the phone and wouldn’t look at Dean.  Dean shifted his weight.  He put his hands in his pockets.  He took his hands out of his pockets.

“Hello, Telani, it’s Anitelu.  Do you have a moment so that you can meet with someone?  Uh, well…your soul mate.”

Dean squirmed as the silence on their end of the line stretched on and on.

“I know,” Anitelu said softly.  “I understand.  I’ll send him over.”

Anitelu hung up the phone.  “If you head back toward the hallway that leads to the bungalows but turn right instead of left, you will find the grand dining hall.  Telani will meet you there.”

Dean stood frozen in place.  He didn’t want to go.  Anitelu was looking at him strangely as he stood there immobile.  Dean finally managed to get his feet to move.  He walked in the correct direction.  As he got closer to the T-section, he had to choose: left to go back to Cas, right to meet his soul mate.  He stood indecisively at the intersection.  He knew what his heart wanted, but he also knew what Cas needed.  Dean turned right and walked down to the entrance to the resort’s in-house restaurant.  The space was very bright as the back wall was all windows to afford a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean.

Dean scanned the room.  It was mostly empty except for a young couple and a family of four having a late lunch.  Then he felt a delicate touch to his wrist.  He turned his head and saw a petite woman with thick, luscious hair looking up at him.  Her eyes were dark and very large.  She was beautiful.  Dean smiled instantly.  He instinctively moved forward to hug her and she opened her arms to accept him.  He picked her up off the floor and she laughed as she hugged him tightly around the neck.

It was such a great feeling.  A wonderful feeling.  It was like seeing someone he’d known all his life—someone he’d known and loved dearly—for the first time in a very long time.  It felt nostalgic even though he’d never met this person before in his life.  He set her back down on her feet and returned her smile as she grinned up at him.  She took his hands in both of hers.

“What’s your name, soul mate?”

“Dean.”

“Dean.  I’m Telani.”

“Hi.”

“It’s good to finally meet you,” she said.

“It really is,” he replied, surprised and relieved that meeting her wasn’t awkward but comforting.

Telani tempered her smile and tilted her head slightly as she looked at him.  She gave his hands a squeeze.

“We need to talk, Dean.”

They moved to a table in a corner of the room, away from the other patrons, and sat across from each other.  Dean held Telani’s left hand with his right one on top of the table.  They sat for several minutes in silence, just looking at each other and enjoying the peace that came with being in each other’s presence.

The first thing Telani said was, “I love your eyes; they’re the color of the lagoon in spring.”

Dean chuckled.  “Thanks.  I love your face; it’s pretty.”

Telani laughed and rolled her eyes.  “Thanks.”  Her smile faded a bit and she squeezed his hand again.  “Dean…”  She lifted up her right hand.  “Dean, I’m married.”

Dean’s eyes traveled over to Telani’s hand and saw the twisted band of rose gold and platinum on her middle finger.  Dean nodded and held up his left hand.

“So, am I.  We’re actually here on our honeymoon.”

Telani’s eyebrows shot up.  “I’m not sure if I’m offended or not that that ring is on _my_ finger.”  She laughed to let him know she was teasing him.

“I know it’s unorthodox, but my husband and I…we feel like soul mates.  It felt right to acknowledge each other as such.”

Telani nodded and hummed.  “That’s beautiful.  I guess Ani and I are just regular old in love people.”  She giggled.

“Ani?”

“Anitelu,” Telani smirked.  “I believe you met him.”

Dean closed his eyes and put his hand over his face.  “Oh, my God.  I asked your husband where to find you.”

“Mm.  And he did his ‘duty’ and pointed you in my direction.  I told him I wasn’t even really interested in meeting you.”

Dean moved his hand from his face and put it out.  “Right?  I said the same thing to Cas.  They just won’t listen.”

“Well, it’s understandable to feel a little insecure when your spouse’s soul mate suddenly shows up.  I’m glad he pushed me into it though.  I’m glad I met you.”

Dean squeezed their still joined hands.  “Me too.”

They fell silent for a few moments, but it felt natural and comfortable.

“Telani…I was wondering if you would help me with something.”

Telani smiled.  “Anything for you, Dean.”

~~~

Castiel had finished unpacking and hanging up his clothes and putting things away in drawers and in the bathroom.  He paced for twenty minutes before he decided to do the same with Dean’s luggage.  He paced fifteen minutes more before he contemplated packing everything back up.  He might need to catch the first flight out of there.  He had potentially pushed his husband into the arms of another and was going to have to file for divorce.  Why hadn’t he just listened to Dean when he’d said that he didn’t want to meet his soul mate?  Why had he been a coward and hidden on the outside deck while Dean had showered and dressed—and then left?  Why had he let him go?  He was a freaking moron.

“Cas?”

Cas almost jumped out of his skin and banged his knee on the desk he had sat down at to try to quell his pacing.  He cursed softly and rubbed the smarting joint.

“Cas, babe?  You okay?”

Dean came into the room looking concerned.

“Yeah.  Just, hit my knee on the desk.”

“Aw.  I’m sorry.”  Dean bent over and kissed his knee.  Cas made a noise of protest, but Dean cut it off with a kiss to his lips.  “Are you hungry?” Dean asked.  “I’m starving.  The last time we ate was on the plane from LA to Tahiti right?  That snack on the flight here definitely didn’t cut it.”

“D-Dean…”

“Yeah?”

“Did…did you meet your soul mate?”  Castiel swallowed and felt terrified as he waited for the answer.  Dean looked totally at ease.  He pulled off his tank top and walked up to Cas.

“Yeah, I’ve met my soul mate.”  He gave him a wink and pulled off the board shorts he’d put on earlier too.

“What are you doing?” Cas asked, confused and little angry that Dean was ignoring his question.

“Changing.  I talked to the concierge and he said they have a special private dining room in an over the water bungalow.  It’s almost completely booked for tonight, but he said he could fit us in at 4:30.  It’s a little early for dinner, but seriously, I’m starving, aren’t you?”

Castiel was not hungry.  He couldn’t feel anything but distress and worry over losing Dean.  But he nodded.  “I could eat.”

“Great.  Put on a nice shirt,” Dean said as he buttoned up a green dress shirt that really brought out his eyes.  “We’re having our first romantic honeymoon dinner.  Enjoy it because the next one will probably be burgers in bed.  I’m not really a fan of the fancy schmancy sit down dinner thing.”

“I’m aware…” Cas said, watching Dean warily as he got dressed.  He was in a good mood.  A very good mood.  Maybe he had met his soul mate—and this was what real happiness on Dean looked like.  Had he ever made Dean look this way?

“Chop-chop, Cas,” Dean said.

Castiel obeyed Dean’s orders because it was easier than thinking for himself.  A few minutes later they were on their way down the pathway that led from their bungalow to the main building.  They passed a few other bungalows, but didn’t see any people.

“Oh, hey, look at that,” Dean said.  He moved his right hand so that Cas could see that Dean’s map had floated onto the back of his hand.  It was completely clearish-blue-green and zoomed in so close as to see the ripples in the water.

Castiel stopped walking, but Dean had a firm grip on his hand and pulled him gently forward.  He started walking again and felt his heart drop farther and farther into his stomach as the map drew tighter and tighter.  Dean was taking him to meet his soul mate.  He was going to make him meet them and then tell him to scram.

Castiel chewed on his bottom lip to stave off the tears and barely noticed that they turned off before reaching the main building and walked down a long wooden dock to a romantically lit bungalow far out in the lagoon.  Dean led him into the room where a single table and two chairs were set up.  The mark was starting to contract into a small circle and a soft pink light glowed around the edges.

Castiel had seen what soul mate marks looked like when they were right next to each other or practically on top of each other.  The maps simply became small, light pink circles that slowly pulsed with a soft light.  Dean’s was very nearly at that point now.

Dean walked him over to the table and pulled one of the chairs out; there was an “X” made out of electrical tape on the cushion.  Cas looked at it in confusion, and then up at Dean.  He smiled at him.

“You follow the map to the X, right?” Dean said.  “X marks the spot of the treasure.”

Castiel opened his mouth to respond, but wasn’t sure what to say.  Dean motioned to the chair again, so Castiel sat down.  Dean moved to stand next to him and leaned against the table.  He held out his hand and revealed that his mark was a perfect, light pink circle.

“Would you look at that?” Dean murmured.

Castiel looked at the mark, and then up at Dean.  He looked around the room, but didn’t see anyone or any place where someone could hide.  Dean put his finger under Castiel’s chin and turned his head gently to make him look at him.

“What are you looking for, Cas?”

“Y-your soul mate.”

“I’m lookin’ at ‘im, angel.”

Cas started to cry.  He couldn’t help it.  He wasn’t sad, he was touched.  He loved Dean so much and somehow Dean had given him this.  He sniffed and looked up.  Dean was still smiling.  He used his thumb to wipe away one of the tears.

“D-Dean…I don’t know how you’re doing this…but…it’ll change.  It’ll zoom out even when we’re close.  It’ll go back to an island coast when we go home.”

“The perfect memento of our honeymoon spot, don’t you think?” Dean asked lightly.

Cas let out a soft laugh.  “I…I guess so.”

Dean leaned down and held his jaw as he kissed him firmly on the lips.  He gave him another kiss with a teasing brush of his tongue and then pulled back.  He picked up Cas’ left hand and lined up their palms so that their rings touched.  He folded his fingers over and Cas did the same.

“You made me a promise, Cas,” Dean said.  “Will you keep it?”

“Forever,” Cas replied, wondering how this had turned around to Dean worrying about losing _him_.

Dean raised their hands and kissed their bands.  He nodded.  Then he stood up and released Cas’ hand.

“Okay.  I’m going to go let the waiter know we’re ready.  You’ll be here when I get back?”

“Of course.”

Dean smiled at Castiel’s indignant look.  Then he left the bungalow and walked a few yards away from the entrance so that he was out of Cas’ line of sight.  He leaned over the railing of the pathway and whispered, “Psst!  Telani!”

There was some soft splashing sounds, and then Telani swam out from underneath the bungalow and over to where Dean stood.

“Did it work?” she asked.

“Perfectly,” Dean grinned.

He helped her clamber over the railing and she wrung out her ponytail.  Dean did appreciate the sight of his cute soul mate in a skimpy one piece, but he had something even more beautiful waiting for him.

“Okay.  We’re ready for dinner now.”

“Mm-hmm,” Telani said.  “Please, allow me to find someone to wait on you.”

“I love you, Telani,” Dean said as she began to walk back toward the resort.

She tossed him a smirk over her shoulder.  “Love you too, Dean.”

In that moment Dean knew that he and Telani _were_ soul mates.  Because soul mates were always able to give each other what they wanted, what they _needed_.  Even if what they needed was someone else.


End file.
